Tale of Eldramir

Given the reach of Shine’s blade, it wasn’t possible for Ezekiel to cut through all the Legends that were standing guard outside the door. He was only able to take out the three that were closest to him, cutting them in half with blinding opalescent light, while maiming the other three as they instinctively moved out of the way when Ezekiel released his [Void Slash].

A quick [Jump] one of the Hunters allowed Ezekiel to stab the man through the back and take him out of the fight, while the other two turned to flee before he could get them.

They were a Cavern and Glacial Hunter from the Empire, however, so their speed was not as great as his. Even with the suppression of the fortress’ formations pressing down on him.

‘That one has an emergency Artifact!’ Shine directed Ezekiel to the Cavern Hunter, who was just rounding the corner as Ezekiel was removing the body on his sword.

Another [Jump] followed by the deployment of his [Domain] found the two Imperial Hunters unable to move. They were both at the lower Steps of Tier four, so the sheer difference in abilities meant that Ezekiel didn’t have too difficult a time taking them out.

The Cavern Hunter swung an ax at Ezekiel’s head, but it was dodged as the Glacial Hunter summoned several frozen spikes that flew toward Ezekiel.

Using his domain, Ezekiel connected himself to the Cavern Hunters position. Using his Tier five [Will] he forcefully swapped positions with the Cavern user. The man was immediately stabbed through by several icicles as Ezekiel [Jumped] above the Glacial Hunter.

Using his [Telekinesis], Ezekiel temporarily stopped the Glacial Hunter from moving, and dropped down with an overhead swing. He felt a bit of strain when his telekinesis broke when the Glacial Hunter pulsed his mana, but by then it was too late.

Ezekiel bisected the Hunter straight down from the top of his head, cutting his body in half.

‘That was messy. That also seemed like it was too easy.’ Shine voiced Ezekiel’s own concerns. ‘But at least Step one of the plan was, more or less, completed.’

While he and Shine were more than capable of taking out Hunters that were several Steps below them, such a thing wasn’t something that happened often. Not only that, but there was no chance that Ezekiel and Shine would be underestimated like this. Not when their enemies would know that he would be coming here for his sister.

‘It’s probably a trap within a trap,’ Ezekiel said to Shine. ‘While we’ve been told about the back doors for the Flurent and Shroud families’ enchantments, we don’t know what the Kindled family put in. Nor do we know what changes they’ve made since they took over.’

‘Should we contact the others? Figure out a different plan before we go forward?’ Shine asked while they expanded their senses to see if anyone else was coming. ‘I’m not sensing anyone else getting closer, even though that guy was definitely signaling for help.’

Ezekiel shook his head. ‘We need to push forward. We can’t afford to turn back now. Nor can we wait until the others get ready. The longer we’re in here, the more likely it is we’ll get caught. Besides, Step two is the fun part.’

He strode toward the massive doors once more. Two quick swings of Shine’s blade saw the hinges and dead bolts damaged as he cut through most of the door.

Bracing himself, he pushed them open with all his might. They flung open, snapping off their hinges as Ezekiel readied his blade. Shock and awe were the key components for what came next.

In the center of the room in front of him was Ellen, who was sitting in a throne-like chair with Tina in her lap. Their eyes were opened, but filled with a cloudy haze that told Ezekiel that they were utterly lost to the world.

At the same time, two more Hunters stood on either side of her. One was a man who was clad in Wolf motif Spirit Armor, and the other was a woman in familiar snake motif Spirit Armor.

For a moment, Ezekiel could see the shock in their eyes as he pushed out with the full might of his [Domain] making them stagger for a moment as he [Jumped] forward.

Only to find himself staggering as well as his spell failed him.

A moment later, the room lit up in golden light, and Ezekiel suddenly found himself alone in a world of light and nothing else.

----------

Making their way past several teams of patrolling guards, Thadeus and his group made their way through what was once the Shroud family’s wing of the fortress. The walls were lined with scorch marks and other signs of damage. All indicative of the removal of the Shroud family iconography that once decorated these halls.

The team didn’t express their displeasure, however, and continued toward their destination at the fastest speed they could. Within a few minutes, they reached the section of this area that was sealed off and hidden by the Shroud family generations ago when the fortress was first built.

Checking for any signs of guards, Thadeus moved forward after confirming that there were none in sight. He then removed a special key given to him by his ancestor, Merlind, and inserted it into a hidden slot on the wall.

A doorway slid open, and Thadeus and his team moved in. The opening in the wall shut a second later, and he dropped the Shroud that was keeping himself hidden. His teammates followed suit a moment later.

“Everyone is here?” Thadeus looked over his group to confirm that they hadn’t lost anyone. “Good. Let’s move. We’ll wait for Ezekiel’s signal for now. But if he doesn’t notify us within the timeframe that Wolken gave us, we’ll activate the sabotage enchantments all the same.”

His team, including Samuel, frowned, but nodded in agreement.

When they had first come forward with this plan alongside Ezekiel, they had originally intended on going along with Ezekiel. But Wolken had dissuaded them of that when Ezekiel had gone off with Riley and his sister to prepare.

“I know you don’t like going behind a family member's back like this, but we don’t have a choice. Wolken was right in his concerns regarding Ezekiel being overwhelmed. Now, start the timers. And prepare yourselves.” Thadeus and his team all set their timer Artifacts and moved into the chamber where the Shroud family’s portion of the enchantment lay in wait for them.

But just as they had entered the hidden chamber, a bright light filled the world around them.

----------

Elsewhere in the fortress, a similar scene was taking place as Riley and her team had made their way into the hidden area for the Flurent family’s back door enchantments.

The entirety of the fortress itself began to glow a bright white light with golden lines outlining the general shape of the fortress itself.

From the outside, it was apparent that something was going on, and Wolken paused to observe.

Meanwhile, Endaria began cackling as she saw what had happened.

“Now, the Anathema will die, as will the heretics that dared to support him.” Smiling in joy, Endaria was almost too slow to deflect the blade of wind that Wolken sent flying toward her.

“What did you do!?” Wolken yelled across the sky.

“I simply gave the Kindled family the power they needed to bring their light into the world at a far greater scale than before,” Endaria declared. “Although, I do regret the fact that this alone will not be enough. Hopefully, those that accepted our Lord’s [Blessing] will prove themselves to be better than the failures from before.”

Wolken’s face hardened into a grimace at the mention of the Cult’s [Blessing].

The abominations that the Cult created hadn’t once shown up during the entirety of the fighting that had occurred in Morathi. Even before the Guilds and Church had arrived.

This had led him and many of the other Guild members who were in the know about the Cult’s monsters to believe that such things were a limited resource, or at least, that the Empire and Kindled family had worked into their agreement a stipulation that would prevent their use in this war.

The collateral damage and deaths of their allies was quite costly, after all.

Rampaging beasts that were barely controllable were often like that. As could be seen when the Cult and Empire had tried to attack Sanafalls. Although, that was not an ‘allied’ nation, so their use in that battle was almost to be expected.

“I’m surprised that you don’t have any of your [Blessed] fighting alongside you right now. You’re not exactly winning, after all,” Wolken taunted his opponent, knowing that it would spell disaster for him if he actually had to fight several of the Cult’s pseudo-Mythic monsters. But he needed to fish for more information, or else things would likely get even worse.

Endaria frowned for a moment before replying. “I don’t need their help to kill you.”

Wolken raised an eyebrow, “If you say so. But let’s be honest. You’re just not allowed to use them, are you? So, what’s so special about this new scenario that means that your Cult’s abominations can be used without consequences?”

Endaria let out an angry growl before beginning her attack once more. The time for talking had ended, and Wolken was once more forced to fight for his life as he tried to kill his opponent.

He did, however, keep a wary eye out for any possible threats besides Endaria. After all, if the Cult had found a loophole that allowed them to get past the restrictions of their contracts, then the chances of something else entering their battle were certainly higher than before.

----------

Looking around himself to examine the strange space that he now found himself in, Harras couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation before staring at the gold clad figure in front of him.

“I am amazed... To think that you would entrap your own clan in this formation, just so you could project the false appearance of having more power than you really do.”

The Kindled Ancestor didn’t reply. He simply glared at Harras, who still didn’t show any concern, even as several figures made of Radiant magic took shape around them.

Each one was a pseudo-Mythical being.

“First your descendant goes behind your back to set up this whole trap for Ezekiel, now you turn it against him by activating this maze to wipe out everyone who dared to oppose your non-existent reign.” Harras stood from his seated position. “I will enjoy seeing your family crumble down around you as you die in despair and denial.”

For a moment, several bands of light flared up around Harras’ wrist, but they faded a moment later. His actions right now were well in line with the contracts the Empire had formed with the Kindled family. The fact that they were making moves against him first meant that he could retaliate as he wished.

“It doesn’t matter if the Kindled family dies. Not anymore. Not now that I have been given the means to regain my previous power.” The Kindled Ancestor waved his hands, and the pseudo-Mythics dashed forward to meet Harras head on.

Violet Lightning filled the area, and Harras found himself flying out of the way, only to crash into a ceiling that he hadn’t thought was there.

For a moment, golden lines flickered as the formations on the fortress grew stressed from the Mythical pressure that was being applied to it.

“Dammit!” Harras exclaimed as he regained his bearings.

A pair of wicked looking claws flew at his head, but he released a sphere of electricity that shocked the Cult’s abominations long enough for him to dodge the blow.

Taking out his weapon from his Void Pouch, Harras readied himself to deal with the creatures he was now forced to fight. A look to the side at the Kindled Ancestor made him frown.

The elderly Radiant Mage was nowhere to be seen.

----------

Ezekiel’s eyes slowly adjusted as he looked around.

After a moment of panic, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Which wasn’t easy, since he’d literally just seen his sister disappear before his eyes.

However, once he did, he started examining his surroundings. Upon closer inspection, the pure Radiant light that was surrounding him had numerous lines of gold strewn throughout it.

Reaching out to touch one, he found that his hand impacted on a solid surface. One that felt like glass, but a thousand times tougher. He tested this by punching the invisible wall in front of him as hard as he could.

‘Crack’

He let out a grunt of pain as he felt something in his finger snap. Not a full break, but it was an unexpected pain, nonetheless.

‘That shouldn’t have happened. Even if it was unbreakable,’ Ezekiel complained as he went about [Enhancing] his natural healing after making sure everything was in place in his hand. ‘The [Reinforcement] on my body should’ve been stronger than the force of the impact from my punch.’

Shine remained silent as they and Ezekiel pondered over the sudden and unexpected result of Ezekiel’s action.

‘... Reflection?’ Shine presented their theory with little confidence, but Ezekiel took a moment to think about it while Shine continued. ‘I mean... being reflected is a concept that can be closely tied to [Light] and therefore [Radiance], right?’

‘Yeah. So is reflection, which means that it’s fully possible that this entire space will be messing with us. Especially since we know that the Radiant element can mess with the mind.’ Ezekiel began walking with one hand on the ‘wall’ next to him, and one hand slightly in front of him. To prevent walking into something solid. ‘For all we know, we haven’t even moved anywhere. We might just be in an illusion created by the formations in the fortress.’

This was the possibility that Ezekiel feared the most because he knew full well what the corrosive effects of pure Radiance like this would have on the Hunters that were with him originally.

‘I hope Riley will be okay... I know it’s been years, but I truly wished that she would never have to face something like this again.’ The fact that this space somewhat reminded Ezekiel of when he had delved into Riley’s mind meant that this was a truly daunting experience. ‘It’s just a shame that this makes our hypothesis about the Lord of Radiance all the worse.’

Shine remained silent, though Ezekiel could feel their agreement across their bond. For now, however, Shine was focused on making sure that their senses were as open as possible. They had already lost awareness of any other being’s position, and they wanted to be able to counter any sneak attacks that might come their way.

Most of their senses were muffled, however, and they weren’t even able to tell where the walls were. Let alone if any other beings were nearby.

‘Keep calm, Shine. It’s alright if you can’t sense anything. Like I said, this could be entirely illusory. There might not be anyone else here.’ Ezekiel’s words kept Shine calm for a moment, but they also brought about a new worry.

If they couldn’t tell whether they were in an illusion or not, then didn’t that mean that their enemies could kill them outside the illusion at any moment?

This was a concern that was shared with Ezekiel, but he waved it off.

‘If our enemies were free from this maze, then they would’ve killed us already.’ These words were less reassuring due to their morbid nature, but not inaccurate. So, Shine focused on their original task.

Eventually, the pair ended up wandering for what felt like an hour before they finally came across something that they could focus on. A noise that was disturbingly familiar to them.

The sound of a large creature gnawing on flesh and bones.

Calmly approaching what seemed to be a corner, Ezekiel poked his head out, and the light that surrounded him gave way to a golden colored monstrosity. One that was somewhat humanoid, but ultimately not. It was far too beastly.

Facing away from them was a large feline abomination with eight limbs. Two legs, four arms, and two tails. It was roughly three times the size of a normal human adult, and was bent over the body of a man garbed in Imperial Guild armor and insignias. For a second, Ezekiel was too shocked to do anything other than stare. Then the Cult’s monster lifted their head and started sniffing the air.

He whipped his head back around the corner before immediately throwing up a [Shroud] to keep himself hidden. A sense of panic filled him, both his own and Shines’.

‘That’s one of the Cult’s [Blessed] ones! What the hell is that thing doing here? I thought it was safe to assume that the Cult hadn’t been given permission, either by the Empire, or the Kindled family, to deploy those things in Morathi!’ Shine was slowly beginning to freak out as the true extent of the danger for both them and Ezekiel began to sink in.

Ezekiel did his best to remain calm. But the thought of his friends and family having to face off against one of those things was terrifying. Yet it did give him a better idea of where they were.

‘We’re in an actualized [Domain]. Somehow, the Kindled family managed to warp the protective formations and turn them into something that created a domain. Much like the shadow world that The Shroud family uses as their home’s defensive barrier.’ Now that the idea was in his head, Ezekiel was having a hard time getting it out. ‘Since any contracts that would prevent the Cult from deploying their [Blessings] in Morathi would specify Morathi, by putting us into a separate space by wrapping us up in [Light] and defining a boundary in [Space], they can side-step the restrictions since we’re not, technically, in Morathi right now.’

Shine was speechless as Ezekiel presented the rest of their idea. They didn’t fully believe it, however, and voiced their doubts.

‘How can that be? Even if they used the power of two Exalts and one fallen Exalt, they shouldn’t be able to do anything that would prevent us from being able to sense the spatial fluctuations!’ Shine’s words became a rapid-fire salvo as became more and more panicked. ‘[Space] is literally our thing! [It’s one of the defining features of the [Void], how could we not sense this!’

‘... Because it’s not just two and a half Exalts whose [Will] we’re fighting.’ Ezekiel gestured to the corner, around which the sound of a body being consumed could still be heard. ‘It’s the combined [Will] of all the pseudo-Mythic monsters that are in here.’

He could feel the sense of awe that Shine was experiencing as they made the same connections as he had. The reason they couldn’t sense where they were wasn’t because [Space] had been warped beyond recognition or cut off from them in some form or another.

It was because the [Will] of the various beings that had created this place were restraining them.

‘How do we get out of this?’ Shine asked with a quiver in their voice. ‘How do we find the others? Especially with those things hunting everything alive?’

‘... I don’t know,’ was all Ezekiel could say. The sound of crunching bones then disappeared, and he could hear the soft padded footsteps of the abomination around the corner get closer.

He and Shine immediately fled as fast as they could without getting caught. Their [Shroud] was the only thing that kept them from being seen as they vacated the area before they could become that monster’s next prey.

----------

Elsewhere in the maze, two figures were currently gorging themselves on the mana that was all around them. They had open wounds all over their bodies, and oily red liquid flowed into their surroundings. Neither one seemed to be affected by the suppression of the maze.

“Lady Mara, should we not be searching for our wayward pawn? Or perhaps, a way to escape this place?” one of the figures asked the other with a quiet and almost stuttering voice.

She was currently on her knees and did not stop her act of feeding on the mana around her. Instead, she continued to suck out what she could from the lines of gold she was biting into.

For her part, Lady Mara was much more refined in her approach. Unlike her companion, the Legendary Cruor that had been spending time hypnotizing Howlend was standing as she gently nipped at the mana flowing around her.

“There is little point in doing so. Our pawn will be dead before this formation falls, as will we be.” Despite the grim words, Mara didn’t seem concerned. “Let us simply enjoy this delicious meal. Better to die on a full stomach after all.”

The two continued consuming mana, neither one noticing the slow changes happening to their bodies as their veins slowly began to turn gold. Their overall size also began to increase, and their forms slowly turned into their primal forms.

----------

Time seemed to fade away as the Void using duo continued walking through the blindingly bright corridors. The more they walked, the more it seemed like their awareness of the world around them was fading away.

They had run into three more of the Cult’s [Blessed] members. Each one was different from the others. Yet they hadn’t been eating a corpse at the time, so that left them with some hope.

‘We need to take a break... We won’t be able to keep up the [Shroud] for much longer,’ Shine said after they turned yet another invisible corner. ‘You need to meditate, and then we need to take a moment to figure out how to break this maze open. Wandering around like this, looking for the others, isn’t helping.’

Ezekiel let out a frustrated sigh but didn’t refute his partner’s words.

‘Wake me up if you sense anything strange. For all we know, I won’t even be able to meditate in this place.’ With that said, he sat down and entered a state of meditation.

However, the moment he reached out with his mind and soul to try and absorb mana, he was immediately sent a jolt of searing pain as his soul seemed to burn under the light of the Radiant magic around him.

Along with something else. A sense that something was here. Something that didn’t belong to the light.

He opened his eyes with a pained gasp, the shock spread through his bond with Shine, and he found himself trying to breathe, even as he felt something alien flicker at the edges of his senses. Something that didn’t belong to the strange maze of light that they were stuck in.

“I don’t know what that was... but I think I found something.” Ezekiel forced himself to stand up and began marching toward the direction he felt that strange itch in the back of his mind coming from.

‘Ezekiel... this doesn’t feel like something made of magic.’ Shine said as they observed whatever it was that Ezekiel had sensed. ‘It feels... tainted. Like something is leeching off the maze. Something that I can instinctively tell is even more well-hidden than the presence of the maze itself. How are we sensing it?’

Several thoughts passed through Ezekiel’s mind at a rapid rate. He didn’t share them with Shine, but he felt confident that he was right. Even if he didn’t want to be.

After all, if the Cruor were here as well, then things had likely gotten a lot more complicated.

Without another word, Ezekiel and Shine began their trek toward the source of the faint blip on their senses. It was surprisingly close, and while they couldn’t tell how much time had passed, it only felt like a few minutes, as opposed to the hours that they had seemingly experienced before.

Finally, the pair reached another corner. One where they could hear crunching, but more along the lines of shattered glass being stepped on. It was nothing like the sickening noise of a human body being consumed.

‘Ezekiel, I can sense something! It’s faint, but I’m certain that there are at least two figures around the corner, as well as something else.’ Shine’s words brought joy to Ezekiel’s heart, and he reached out more strongly with his own senses.

He could tell, much like Shine, that there were two figures around the invisible corner next to them. There was also a hole that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

‘No... not a hole... It’s like a sideways pillar.’ Ezekiel could now feel the distinct presence of something around the corner. Something that stood out in the blankness of the maze’s walls.

Steeling his nerves, and checking his depleted mana reserves, he readied himself to step around the corner. He had a feeling that retreat wouldn’t be an option this time.

‘You ready?’ he asked Shine.

‘Of course.’

Stepping around the corner, Ezekiel felt the urge to puke, even as his fight or flight instincts flared to life. Which was only to be expected, as two massive Cruor were right in front of him.

Neither one was of a Brood that he was familiar with, but he could tell that they were of the same Brood. If the generally matching figures were any indication.

Somewhat humanoid, they had two arms and two legs, with pale skin and pure white hair. For a moment, he thought that they might have been from the Blood Brood, who were known for such features. Especially the bright red lips that he could see on their faces.

But these creatures were not the image of daunting beauty that the records depicted the members of the Blood Brood to have.

Instead, they were bloated to an almost spherical degree, and they had dark gold veins running up along their bodies. For a second, it looked like they were about to burst, and it was only their continued consumption of the walls around them that allowed Ezekiel to realize that he wasn’t seeing things. Only the Cruor would eat mana like these things were, after all. The result of which was a black hole that stood out on the wall from where the Cruor were eating.

It was obvious that something went wrong for them, of course, but Ezekiel knew better than to turn away such a welcome gift. At least once he calmed his rapidly beating heart. After all, he could absorb their Ichor to replenish his mana.

Stepping forward a few more times, he was about to strike at the nearest one, when a ferocious roar filled the air behind him.

The gorging Cruor paused in their consumption. Their massive figures, nearly five times larger than the average human adult, turned toward the sound, looking directly at the [Shroud] covered Ezekiel at the same time.

Staring into the Cruors’ eyes, six on each one, nearly made Ezekiel turn to flee, but instead, he looked over his shoulder.

There were three of the Cult of Light’s abominations behind him, and they were charging toward the Cruor in front of him with enraged growls and snarls.

The last thing he managed to do before the fight began was to throw himself to the side, and pray to the Ancients that these things tired themselves out fighting each other before they went after him.